Thursday News, August 16

Scoop The Loop Called A Success

(Le Mars) -- Last evening's Chamber sponsored "Scoop the Loop" was a successful event with more than 200 classic cars of various makes and models making the cruise down Central Avenue to the Olson Cultural Events Center. Le Mars Chamber representative Mary Reynolds says last night's event attracted more people and more cars than ever before. The gathered crowd enjoyed viewing the polished relics, as well as listening to the music provided by "The Jammers."

Highway 3 To Remain Closed For At Least Another Week

(Le Mars) -- Due to contractors not being able to meet road specifications, Highway 3 from Business Highway 75 to the Highway 75 by-pass will remain closed to the general public for at least another week. Le Mars City Administrator, Scott Langel says the road was completed, but it did not meet the specifications for smoothness.

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Langel says the two contractors must absorb the additonal costs for the repairs, neither the state nor the city of Le Mars will be asked to pay for the extra work. He says originally, the contractor had until this past Monday to complete the project. Langel offers a timetable as to when the project may possibly be finished.

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The road construction project got started on April 30, 2012.

Kidnapping Charges Dropped Due To Failure To File Before Deadline

WALL LAKE, Iowa (AP) - Kidnapping charges have been dropped against three northwest Iowa men after prosecutors failed to file the formal charges by a state-mandated deadline. Thomas Schroeder II and Bradley Jacobsen, both of Wall Lake, and Steve Schroeder, of Odebolt, were arrested last month for allegedly kidnapping and beating a migrant worker, Rafael Trevino, on Aug. 3, 2009. Iowa law requires prosecutors to file formal charges for most felonies within three years of the crime. The charges were dropped this week after the Iowa attorney general's office, which was prosecuting the case, failed to file the formal charges before the deadline. Attorney General Tom Miller has ordered his staff to review internal case management practices. Trevino's attorney, Marinda van Dalen, says it's a "real injustice."

Elizabeth Smart Tells Missing Cousins Relatives "There's Always Hope"

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Elizabeth Smart, who was held by a kidnapper for nine months, is reminding the families of two missing Iowa cousins that "miracles do happen." Ten-year-old Lyric Cook and her cousin Elizabeth Collins, who has since turned 9, were reported missing July 13 from the Waterloo suburb of Evansdale. The bikes were found at a nearby lake aboutfour hours after their grandmother had last seen them. Smart was 14 when kidnapped from her suburban Salt lake City home in June 2002. She was reunited with her family in March 2003 and has since talked to kidnapping survivors and families who have suffered similar tragedies. Smart says "there's always hope."

Waterloo Police Find Abandoned Baby In Car

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) - Waterloo police say a baby was taken to a hospital after a patrol officer found the infant had been left alone in a parked car. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the 9-month-old child was found about noon on Wednesday when the officer saw the car parked on the wrong side of the street. The car wasn't locked. The newspaper says the child was conscious but sweaty. It wasn't clear how long the child had been in the car. There was no word on the baby's condition. Officers found the mother inside a nearby apartment building. The names of the mother and child weren't immediately released.

Casinos Violates Child Labor Laws

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The U.S. Labor Department says it has found wage and child labor law violations at two Iowa casinos. A department news release says it found teenagers working at the Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood were loading and operating trash compactors in violation of federal safety provisions. The department also says it found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime pay and record-keeping requirements at the Northwood casino and at the Diamond Jo Riverboat Casino in Dubuque.The department says it recovered more than $46,500 in back wages for 32 employees. The department says it has assessed $9,300 in civil penalties against Dubuque-based Peninsula Gaming LLC, which operates the casinos. A company spokeswoman didn't return a message from The Associated Press.

Woman Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - A Bettendorf woman who used a minor to produce child pornography has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that 37-year-old Amanda Diener received the 240-month prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to sexually exploit a child. Prosecutors said that Diener used an unidentified female minor to whom she had access to perform sex acts, photograph them and send images to a Massachusetts man identified as Hobart Yates. Yates and Diener also admitted that Diener performed sex acts on a live webcam that Yates watched. U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt also sentenced Diener to 15 years of supervised release after her prison term.

Student Pilot and Instructor Land Plane In Cornfield

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) - Authorities say a student pilot and a flight instructor suffered only minor injuries when they were forced to make an emergency landing in a corn field in northernIowa. The accident happened Wednesday afternoon near Manly. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals says the pilot, Geoffrey Tayner, of Johnston, and the instructor, Tom Ballard, of Granger, were flying over northern Iowa and southern Minnesota as part of a training flight when engine trouble forced the plane down. Neither required hospitalization. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified.